Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park

The Pulpit Rock area had quite a few sighting of BEARs during the Summer of 2012. Visitors to the site are strongly encouraged to use bear safe practices. Click on the following for BEAR SAFETY tips. Note, there were no sightings or reports of bears for all of 2013, 2014, or 2015. But for June of 2016 there was a bear sighting in early June and now have been bear sightings every day since Monday June 21 through Sunday June 26. These sighting have all been in the immediate area of Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park and the Hamburg Reservoir. RIK - PR Maintenance

Welcome to the Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society's dark sky observing site. Pulpit Rock is located 25 miles west of Allentown between Lenhartsville and Hamburg, PA.

Officially known as Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park, or as it is commonly called, "The Rock," this 4.3-acre mountaintop site sits 1,600 feet above sea level on the Appalachian Trail. The installations and equipment at Pulpit Rock offer the serious amateur or the novice an opportunity to contribute meaningful scientific information to the astronomical community or to simply view the splendors of the heavens from our several acres of landscaped grounds.

The site was founded in the 1960's by Henry Kawecki, an industrialist from Berks County, who built the first dome (right-most dome in aerial view below) in a small clearing in the woods. There was a crude access road called the "jeep road" at the time, but he also traveled in by helicopter.

As the LVAAS became involved in Kawecki's efforts, a more usable road was built and the site soon blossomed into a small campus of observatories. The dark skies on Blue Mountain were a welcome getaway from the light-polluted cities.

In the mid 1990's, a renaissance was under way at The Rock. A new three-story building was under construction for a 40" cassegrain, the other observatories were cleaned up and repainted, and the grounds got a major overhaul. Trees were cut back, weeds and overgrowth were completely eliminated, piles of debris were trucked out, the road and a new loop were freshly graveled, the whole landscape was graded, and a magnificent new lawn was sown. Through these incredible efforts of the members, LVAAS's Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park is the highest and finest amateur observing site east of the Mississippi.

Click on any of the pictures below and take the Virtual Tour of Pulpit Rock. There are plenty of pictures to enjoy!

If you are not a member of LVAAS, you are invited to join so you, too, can use this facility! Click for information on Membership!.